The Lions On The Throne
by Lionith
Summary: This story is my first fanfiction and it takes place right where the last episode of Game of Thrones (6x10) left off. The story is about Jaime and Cersei and how their relationship develops now that she is sitting on the iron throne.
1. Chapter 1

Not long after the coronation ceremony, the new Queen of the Seven Kingdoms found her way back to her bedchambers. _She had waited her whole life for this moment but the iron throne felt colder than she had imagined, less comfortable, less right. Tommen should be sitting here right now. He should be alive and well ruing the Seven Kingdoms with his mother by his side._ She had told her bed maids not to follow her. Four king's guards escorted her back to her bedchamber where two others were already guarding the door. One of them opened it for the Queen and once she entered she noticed her brother was already inside waiting for her. He was standing up in front of her bed, blank gaze in his green eyes. A blank gaze was all the queen could give back as well.

What was going to happen between them now? _We came into this world together, we belong together._ All three of their children were dead; the prophecy had come to life. _We're two halves of one person._ Their boy, their youngest boy had taken his own life as a direct result of her actions. _We're the only two people that matter._ Even now? Even after she killed the thousands he broke his oath to protect? Jaime is all she has left in this world. Without him by her side, this was all for nothing. He has to understand, he has to. The candles sitting on the table were cracking too loud. Their breath seemed too loud. That was because none of them was talking and that silence was unbearable. After what seemed like ages, Jaime was the one who broke the silence.

" _You are Queen now_." – It was not a question, merely an observation. Cersei has a cold stare on her eyes.

" _I am_." She was trying so hard to understand whether there was judgment in his voice.

" _Tommen is dead_." – There was a sharp pain in his voice when he made the last statement.

" _He is. Our boy. Our last boy. He is_." – Her voice cracked too, but her eyes were still cold as ice as if with the death of her last child, something had broken in them and they were beyond repair. As if they were going to be hollow for the rest of her life.

"Cersei-"

"I did not foresee any of this would happen. Jaime, I did not mean to… I..." Pause. Of course she did not mean to. Of course she did not mean to murder their last child. None of them knew what to say.

"I know. I know you did not mean for any of this to happen. I know you had no choice." His words said one thing, yet his eyes told another story. They were ice cold and that led the queen to believe that he was furious with her. What could she have done differently? The fanatics had come to her doorstep and they had stolen her son away. Her boy, her only boy. She thought this was the way to protect him. The only way to protect him from the fanatics that had gotten inside his head; from losing his mother; from that little bitch from High Garden who had dug her claws in so deep; from all the people who took his newfound religion for weakness and were going to tear him apart. She did all of this for _him_.

Silence.

 _"I should have been here to protect you. Nothing in this world is more important. Nothing could ever be more important than you and me. I went to take that stupid castle back and I failed to keep you from harm."_

 _"I still need you. I need you now more than ever, we can not show any weakness now, we have to carry the Lannister legacy. We have to protect each-other now more than ever."_

He did not reply, instead he took his armor off and he headed to her bed. She knew he meant for her to follow him. They lay in bed together and with their limbs tangled it was hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. For the first time in months, since she had been thrown in the cells by Septa Unella, Cersei's head was clear and her demons were put to sleep. It is this funny thing Jaime can do, he puts his arms around her and it is as if he scares all of her bad thoughts away. He slays them for her, and this is the only way she allows herself to be vulnerable in front of someone, the only way she allows someone else to take care of her. They were just lying in bed but this felt incredibly calming. Jaime was back; he was home. _She_ felt at home in his arms, too. It felt as if they were kids again in Casterly Rock when they used to sleep together every night until their Lady mother found out and pulled them apart. She had placed their bedchambers in opposite sides of the castle but nonetheless Jaime would still sneak in her bedchambers past the guards or through the window almost every night. It felt exciting, secretive and even as a child that feeling intrigued Cersei greatly. It made her feel like she was in power even though everyone around underestimated her. But none of that mattered in that moment as she lay in her brother's arms, taking in his body odor in. _Ahh how she adored this._ Jaime's odor could make her drunker than the strongest wine the wine merchant could bring her. She _preferred_ it to any wine there was. (And we all know how the queen loves her wine.)

At least for this one night, the twins had escaped to _their_ reality. _We're the only ones in this world that matter._ How could it be the same cruel Gods who took away all of her children, give her something so precious? Or was Jaime simply the Gods' way to make up for all the pain they had thrown upon her?


	2. Chapter 2

She opened her eyes and a ray of sunshine was peeking through the window in her bedchambers. She realized she had not moved one inch during the whole night. Her head was still on Jaime's wide shoulder, her arms wrapped around his body, and her legs curled up above his. Jaime's left hand was wrapped around her ankle, holding on to it tightly, just like his right hand held on to her foot when they had entered this world. Just the thought of that, that nothing has changed between them since the day they were born, that they still held on to each-other as the most precious thing in the world, made her smile. _When was the last time she had felt happy? Maybe when the wildfire took all her enemies out at once; but that was certainly short-lived._ Jaime was still so deep in his slumber, calm, oblivious of the world and their surroundings. She would give anything just to make sure that he was always that peaceful, that he was always that safe.

The Queen was lost in her thoughts and for the first time in so long that was not a bad thing. Looking at Jaime's chest, the way it rose and fell when he breathed she had a sudden realization: this was the first time in their adult life that they had slept together for the whole night, the first morning she actually woke up wrapped up in his arms and they did not have to run nor hide. They did not need to be careful anymore, they were free. _Power is power._

Her thoughts were interrupted by some loud bangs on the door and just as she was getting ready to yell ' _Go away',_ the door flew right open and Qyburn entered out of breath.

 _"My Queen, I am so sorry to barge in like this but the matter is quite urgent"_ He was talking with his head down, staring at the floor. When he was finished with his sentence and the Queen was not responding, he looked up at her. She was still lying in bed, looking more annoyed than shocked that he had the decadence to enter her chambers like that, her arms wrapped around her brother who was now awake and looking at Qyburn in confusion. Qyburn looked shocked at what he saw and his gaze dropped immediately.

He repeated _'I am very sorry Your Grace'_ a few times under his breath while still looking at the ground and left the chamber hurriedly.

The door closed with a loud bang after him and Jaime couldn't help himself but let out a laugh of amusement. The look on Qyburn's face had been priceless. Cersei had been less amused, though. She quickly got off the bed, put on the gown that was resting on top of the wooden box next to her bed, and she left the chamber with Jaime in it.

Cersei entered the small council chamber, with the Mountain walking right beside her and apparent irritation on her face. Qyburn was the only one sitting on the table, given that since the day prior to this, all the other members of the council were blown to bits. _Cersei smirked when she thought of her victory._ She sat on the chair where her father used to sit, back when he was hand of the king.

 _"Speak. What is this urgent issue that could not wait?"_ In that instant Jaime entered the council chamber, dressed in his gold Lannister armor and sat on her right.

 _"Your Grace, Lord Jaime, I have had little birds coming in all morning and they have informed me that the other Lords and Ladies, the highborn, and the peasants alike… they all have lost their loyalty to the crown. The only thing stopping them from rebellion is fear. But Your Grace, I am afraid that fear will not hold them down for long. If they find a leader… as soon as they find one, it is going to be hard to keep them quiet; it is going to be hard to rule over them."_ Qyburn was talking in one breath, as if the sooner he spit out the danger at their doorstep, the sooner he would be let off the hook for entering the Queen's chamber earlier. _"That is not all; for many years, the people have considered The Crown and The Faith to be the two pillars on which the entire world balances, with the rather abrupt fall of The Faith, the people are starting to panic. Word on the street is that there already is talk of rebuilding a sanctuary for the Seven and choosing a new High Sparrow."_

Cersei did not respond. She had anticipate that this was going to occur sooner or later; she knew that the little bitch from High Garden and the shoeless beggar had won over the peoples' hearts and that the people were not going to support her claim to the crown. But she did not care; she was going to _make them_. None of them knew how long she had waited for this and what she had endured during her whole life just to get to the Iron Throne. Nonetheless, she had not figured out how to respond to this situation thus far. _If only father was still alive, The Seven Kingdoms have been united in the fear of Tywin Lannister before, he could do it again. And even though she was his true heir, his oldest trueborn and the only one caring out his legacy, she lacked the cock. She did not have his influence or power over people. One more reason to resent the imp, father was gone because of him._

 _"That cannot happen, if we allow them to rebuild their little worship places and chose their shoeless, reeking High Sparrows, all their fear will disappear. We need to put a stop to this."_ She knew these were empty words. They all knew that they need to put a stop to this, but how? She did not have any supporters and she needed to gain them quick.

 _"We have the Lannister army who will fight by our side no matter what, their loyalties lay with the trueborns and heirs of the mighty Tywin Lannister, the Lord and Lady of Casterly Rock"_ Cersei and Qyburn both turned to look at Jaime who had now started to talk _"the Kingsguard have been loyal to Robert and both Joffery and Tommen because they believed them to be Baratheons and that's where their loyalties lay" Qyburn's face changed color which made him look even more shocked than that morning when he had found the twins in bed. Was he the only person in King's Landing who was oblivious to Jaime's and Cersei's relationship? Did he actually believe that Joff and Tommen had been fathered by Robert? "That is why we need to appoint Lannisters to the Kingsguard, you need people around you can trust, we need people around we can trust. And I know just the right person to be your new Lord Commander. Once we mobilize our army and the Kingsguard, we will be able to come up with a strong and reliable strategy."_

 _"I take it you are not up for your old duty?"_

 _"And retake a vow of celibacy? Thanks but I could do without that."_ Jaime winked at Cersei and a faded smile appeared on the Queen's face. She could easily get used to this.


End file.
